


The Time Lord Overheard

by Ray_Writes



Series: Tumblr Prompts [19]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 03:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13848789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes
Summary: The Doctor makes a stunning confession to his best friend - only she's not quite as asleep as he thought.





	The Time Lord Overheard

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last prompt I've got ready to upload for you all today. This was requested by tumblr user smackalicious who asked for the sentence "Please put me down it’s just a sprained ankle". Please enjoy!

Donna was utterly mortified. As if it wasn’t bad enough that she’d got her foot stuck in a bloody space-gopher hole and fallen over while they were supposed to be fleeing from aliens, somehow she’d twisted her ankle in a way that made it almost unbearable to stand.

Not that she was about to let that on to Spaceman.

“Please put me down, it’s just a sprained ankle,” she said not for the first time, holding her head up high in an absolute refusal to settle down against his chest. She wasn’t intending to stay there anyway, and if she started to get comfy, well, best not to even let her mind wander there.

“Donna, a sprained ankle isn’t ‘just’ anything. Walking on it only risks a more serious injury.” The Doctor had slowed to a walk himself as it seemed they were no longer being pursued, and he apparently did not wish to jostle her for fear of hurting her. Which was only going to make this longer, which she absolutely did not want.

“Well it’s not that far, is it?” She huffed, though steeled herself on the inside. No matter what distance he said, she’d just have to fight through the pain.

“We’re still half an hour off,” he told her bluntly. “From the village, anyway. It’ll be another fifteen minutes to the TARDIS at least, and I’d prefer to take a look at you there.”

She gaped at him, and he seemed to misinterpret the reason for he blanched and amended quickly, “Your ankle. I want to take a look at your ankle.”

Donna finally found her voice, however. “You’re planning to carry me for nearly an hour?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I’m gonna break you, you dumbo! Then we’ll both be hobbling back to the TARDIS, won’t we?” She wriggled in an attempt to get down, but his grip was really quite firm!

In fact, he hefted her a little higher and closer, which caused her to freeze in her movements. “Donna, you are not going to break me. Time Lords are stronger than we might look, and you are not a burden by any means.”

She didn’t have a ready answer to that. Not one that didn’t insist she was fat, which she didn’t want him to think about her but likewise she didn’t want him lying if that was what he thought.

The Doctor seemed to sense she was still unhappy for whatever reason, for he said, “You should try and get some rest. It’ll take your mind off the pain.”

Maybe it would be better than staring at each other from this close. Ducking her head down would at least ensure he didn’t glimpse any hint of the blush that her pale cheeks too readily showed.

“Just watch the hands,” she muttered, trying to distract them both from her snuggling into his chest. A bit hypocritically, her own hands slid from his shoulders to rest there as well, but it wasn’t like she’d be able to sleep the other way without her arms getting sore.

She heard – and felt – Spaceman’s heavy sigh. “Yes, Donna.” He’d shifted his grip to accommodate her new position, but there was nothing untoward about it.

Resting on him really wasn’t so bad. Sure, he was skinny, but still definitely solid. She couldn’t help feeling an extra sense of security in his arms as she always did, though that was usually in the form of a hug. Things just didn’t seem so bad when he was holding her. And her neck had been getting stiff anyway, so at least she wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

It somehow wasn’t as awkward as she’d thought it would be. Spaceman was keeping unusually quiet, though that was to allow her to sleep. Donna hadn’t actually thought she would, but there was something calming about the double heartbeat in her ear and the slow, rocking pace set by his walking.

She’d nearly drifted off entirely when she just barely heard him say on another sigh, “Oh, Donna.”

Donna was a bit too drowsy at this point to think of a verbal reply and found herself sort of nuzzling into the space under his chin instead before she could stop herself. But it felt nice, and his arms tightened around her a little more, and that felt  _very_  nice.

“Sometimes I want to use the TARDIS to track down every person who’s ever caused you to think so little of yourself and teach them a lesson. But I know you wouldn’t want that,” he added before she could even utter a sound in protest.

“I just wish I could make you see yourself the way I see you. I wish you’d believe me when I tell you you’re brilliant and lovely and so, so special. Because you really are all those things to me.”

As Donna slowly struggled back to awareness it occurred to her that Spaceman might have begun this impromptu monologue  _because_  he thought her totally asleep. Unable to help her curiosity, Donna decided to play at this whole resting bit a little longer.

“I don’t think I’ve ever quite met someone like you,” he said, soft and just a tad…shy? When had he ever been too shy to admit something? “I know I’ve never felt quite like this about anyone I’ve traveled with before. Maybe ever.”

It took everything in Donna to remain totally relaxed, for if she tensed up it would give the whole game away. She couldn’t keep her heart from hammering in her chest, though, and would just have to hope he didn’t notice. At this critical a moment, she didn’t think she could stand not hearing the rest of it. He couldn’t possibly be saying…could he?

“I know I said I just wanted a mate. And you are. You’re the best mate I’ve ever had. I suppose that just makes it all worse, because if you ever find out I’ll lose so much more than a companion. You’re my friend, my partner, my confidante, the person who saves me and pushes me to be better even when it seems impossible – Blimey, Donna, how was I not supposed to fall in love with you?”

She remained silent. Donna wasn’t even sure she’d be able to speak around the lump that had risen in her throat.

“You are the  _furthest thing_  from a burden to me…and I just wish you knew.” She felt his chest rise and fall under her head with the breath he took and released. “But that’s alright.”

The resignation and quiet heartbreak in his voice belied those words, and Donna very nearly raised her head – but he took one of his arms from around her unexpectedly. Moments later, she heard him snap. They’d reached the TARDIS already?

Her mind was racing as they went over the threshold. Spaceman kicked the door shut behind them with his foot, then continued on past the console to one of the corridors. He was probably heading for her room to put her to bed.

She had to say something, didn’t she? What did she have to be frightened about? He’d basically declared his love for her – without actually meaning to declare it  _to_  her, but those were details – all she had to do was answer in the same. Because despite her best efforts, she had fallen for her Spaceman, too.

They’d entered what had to be her room, and soon enough Donna felt him stoop slightly to turn back her bed-sheets. He lowered her down onto the mattress, and Donna couldn’t hold it back any longer.

Her eyes flew open. “Spaceman.”

He’d half-turned away, but immediately looked round. “Oh, there she is.” His smile was so gentle, so absolutely warm. How had she not noticed? “How’s the ankle?” 

God, she’d nearly forgotten all about it! Attempting to rotate it caused a sharp pain to shoot up her leg, and she grimaced. “About the same.”

“There’ll be something in the med bay for that.”

“Doctor, wait,” she said, sitting up as best she could before he could make to leave.

He returned instantly to her bedside. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, you dumbo,” she said, then winced. No wonder he was convinced she’d hate to know the truth! “I mean, I just wanted to say…”

Donna trailed off, then scooted over a little on the bed to make room. She reached out for his hands and pulled him down to sit as talking up at him was making her nervous. He sat facing her, confusion being his primary expression.

“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she stated bluntly. “And I know I’m a bit rough around the edges, and I poke fun at you more than I should–”

The Doctor started right in on his usual, “Donna, there’s nothing wrong with–”

“Let me finish,” she said, emphasizing it with a slight squeeze of the hands she still held. Spaceman fell silent. “What I mean is that maybe it seems like I don’t care much for you. Or that I wouldn’t. But I do. I would. I…sometimes it scares me how much.”

“Donna?” He was watching her with increasing alarm.

She shook her head. Of course she was muffing it. “But that’s good. It’s like, sometimes I get scared when we’re out there facing aliens, but I come out the better for it in the end, right?”

He nodded, if a bit hesitantly. Likely still trying to puzzle out where this was going.

Donna smiled. “I’m a better person for knowing you. Loving you.”

The Doctor made a sort of choked sound in the back of his throat, his eyes going wider than dinner plates. “You weren’t asleep.”

“No,” she admitted. “But it’s a good thing I wasn’t or we wouldn’t exactly be here right now, would we?”

It took him a long time to even blink. Then his eyes lowered to their still-joined hands before slowly rising again to her face. “You love me.”

It wasn’t really a question, but Donna nodded anyway. She had to bite her lip to try and contain her smile as one spread across his own unabashed.

“I love you,” he said abruptly. “Well, I suppose I told you that, but I wanted to – properly, I mean–”

“Come here, Spaceman.” Donna tugged at his hands and leaned forward herself as they joined for a kiss. It was slower and softer than that first rushed affair in Lady Edison’s kitchen, but no less passionate. Perhaps more so, because this was their first real opportunity to learn each other in a physical sense.

Her hands slid up his arms, drawing him closer, and he went willingly – only by shifting up the bed towards her he accidentally bumped her legs, causing another twinge of pain. Donna couldn’t quite stop herself from whimpering against his lips.

He realized it wasn’t the good kind without any other hint from her, scooting back suddenly and breaking off the kiss. “Oh, Donna, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright, it just hurt for a moment,” she said.

“Well, we’ve got to get that taken care of before anything else.” He reached down and gently untied the laces on her shoe and removed it, which saved her the trouble of trying to awkwardly bend without moving her ankle. His touches were feather-light, and this time it was a tingle of something far more pleasant that seemed to shoot up through her body.

“Thank you,” she murmured, tucking a bit of her hair behind one ear, feeling another blush as the Doctor looked up at her with eyes that were utterly adoring. She’d swear if it weren’t for the sprained ankle that this had to be some sort of dream.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised, leaning over her carefully to place one last chaste kiss to her lips. Then he was practically bounding from her room to get to the med bay and back quick as possible. If she wasn’t mistaken there was a bounce to his step that wasn’t usually there.

Donna couldn’t help a little giggle from escaping her and even grabbed one of her pillows to muffle a shriek of delight. She couldn’t remember being this happy in years, and she’d thought she’d reached her peak just traveling with him!

All thanks to one lousy little sprain. Hard to imagine being upset about it now.

But, being a time traveler, she knew more than most about hindsight.


End file.
